


Math Is Hard

by Marimimi14



Series: Andrew and Neil Family's Adventures [16]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: 5+1 Things, Adopted Children, Homework, Homeworld is Horrible, Kid Fic, M/M, Mathematics, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Professional Exy (All For The Game), Professional Exy Player Andrew Minyard, Professional Exy Player Neil Josten, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, math major!neil josten, parents teachers meetings, prejudice toward professional athlete, teacher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23520253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marimimi14/pseuds/Marimimi14
Summary: 5 times Juniper struggles with math and one time she still struggles but she has some help.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: Andrew and Neil Family's Adventures [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654528
Comments: 14
Kudos: 147





	Math Is Hard

1.

Juniper was staring down at her math homework. She had no idea how to solve it. She tried to remember the steps her teacher showed today, but her mind went completely blank. She huffed and closed her textbook. She put her head on her crossed arms on the top of her desk. It was harder than she expected, trying to go on without her dad here. He was usually the one who helped her with math.

But he died a few months ago and she had to try and do it by herself. She couldn’t really ask Line. Since her father died her stepmother had been more distant than usual. And Everest had told her that she was grieving and that they needed to give her time.

She could always try to ask her brother for help, but Everest had also been weirder than usual lately. He was quieter and kept to himself most of the time. He never let her alone with Line, but other than that he was in his room working on his own assignment.

Juniper sighed. Her family wasn’t what it used to be, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She opened her math book again and stared at the problem once more. She had no idea what she was doing but she still finished her assignment. She knew her grade wouldn’t be the best but at least she tried.

2.

A few days later, Juniper got her assignment back. She passed it, even if it was barely. She let out a relieved sigh. The last thing she wanted, was the school calling Line and telling her that she failed something.

“How did it go?” Her friend Lydia asked her as she looked over her shoulder at her grade.

Juniper turned the paper in her direction so her friend could see better.

“Oh. Don’t worry it’ll better next time.” Lydia said with a reassuring smile.  
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” Juniper whispered. She had some doubts, but now wasn’t the time to tell her friend.  
“Maybe you could ask your dad or your mom for help. That’s what I do.” Lydia said.

Juniper only stared at her with a frown. Not saying anything in return. Lydia seemed confused by her silence, until her face light up in recognition and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

“Sorry. I kind of forgot.” Her friend said, her cheeks bright red.

Juniper shook her head. She also sometimes forgot that her father was gone. Sometimes she’ll come back home and expect to see in the kitchen, cooking dinner. She couldn’t really blame her friend.

“It’s ok. I’ll ask Everest maybe.” Juniper said desperate to change the subject.

Lydia nodded and started talking about what her dog had done last night. Juniper was grateful for the subject change and listened to her friend. She could worry about math later.

3.

She had been trying to do her homework all day long. Everest had left in the morning to go to the stadium. Still with this program with the exy team. Line had been asleep for most of the morning and when she woke up, she went to the living and turned the tv on. Juniper glanced at her when she went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Line was sitting there with a bottle in her hand. She didn’t seem to be aware of what was on screen.

Juniper ate her sandwich silently and went back to her room quickly. She wasn’t dumb. She knew Line was mean to Everest and that her brother was trying to protect her. Juniper sat back at her desk and glared at her homework. How could she concentrate on math when all she thought about was how she couldn’t even help her brother?

She was still glaring at her textbook when Everest entered her room. She had no idea how long she’s been staring without seeing anything.

“Get your things. We’re getting out of here.” Everest said as he took out her backpack and shove her clothes in it.  
“What?” Juniper asked, blinking at her brother.  
“We’re leaving this house.” Everest said.

Juniper stared at her brother with incomprehension. Once again, what? Everest sighed when he saw that his sister wasn’t moving.

“Come on Jun. I’ve found people who are ready to help us.” He tried again.

Juniper nodded even if she still wasn’t sure what was going on.

“But I have math hom…” She tried to tell him.  
“You can finish them later. This is urgent.” Everest said. He passed his hands in his hair making strands go in every direction. Yeah ok, he was stressed.

Juniper closed her book and helped her brother pack her stuff. She followed him downstairs and met the persons who would help them. Two men who were quite short and seemed determined to keep Line away from them. As much as she was confused and scared, she was still grateful for the two men. Everywhere would probably be better than this house. Everest was right. Math could wait.

4.

This time she had failed her most recent math exam and the teacher wanted to see her after class. So, when everyone went to recess, she had to stay back and talk with Mr. Kim. Lydia gave her a reassuring smile before exiting the classroom.

“Juniper, your grades in math had been a little lacking in the past few months.” Mr. Kim started.

Juniper simply nodded; she didn’t know what to say to that.

“You failed the last exam.” He continued with a sigh.  
“I know.” Juniper said quietly.  
“You know I should call your parents, well in your case your guardians.”

Juniper gritted her teeth, but she didn’t argue. It was the procedure and she was well aware of it. She still didn’t want to bother Andrew and Neil because of it. They had enough trouble already. She still remembered the last time Amanda, the social worker, had been at their house. How she said that maybe Andrew and Neil weren’t fit to be their parents and maybe they should just relocate the kids. Juniper didn’t want to give the system a reason with her bad grades.

“But I won’t do it. Not now.” Mr. Kim said.

Juniper looked up at him with a questioning look. She didn’t want to thank him too soon in case it was a prank or something.

“Why?” She finally asked.  
“Because there’s been a lot of change in your life recently and I can’t imagine it had been easy on you. I’ll give you another chance. Maybe you just need to get used to your new environment a little more.” Mr. Kim explained.  
“Thank you, Mr. Kim.” She said her shoulders losing some of their tension.  
“If your grades haven’t improved after the next test, I’ll have to call your guardians.” Mr. Kim warned her.

Juniper nodded energetically and thanked him once again. Mr. Kim smiled at her and told her to go outside to enjoy the rest of her recess. Juniper joined Lydia a few minutes later. She had a new determination for math.

5.

She resorted to asking Everest for help. Her brother was older and already in high school. Surely her homework would be easy for him. They sat in her room, both looking at her homework.

“I don’t know Jun. Math was never my strong suit.” Everest sighed. He shook his head; geometry was far from his favourite subject.  
“Ok, but can you help me?” She asked. “How do you manage your own math homework then?”  
“Look I’ll try. But I have someone in my class who helps me with my homework. They tutor me once a week during lunch.” Everest explained to her.

Juniper sighed at that. Great, her brother wouldn’t be that much help after all. She was glad he had help at school but come on he surely could help her a little. Everest picked up on her defeated attitude in a heartbeat. He shoved his shoulder with hers playfully.

“Come on. We’ll figure this out together.” He said with a grin.

Juniper smiled back at him and nodded. She picked up her pencil and they went to work. It took a long time but not as long as if she had done it alone. She was also fairly sure that she had more good answers than if she did it alone.

So, on her next test, she passed. She relaxed in her chair when she saw her grade. Mr. Kim wouldn’t call Neil and Andrew then.

+1.

Juniper thought she was all clear now. Sure, she had to work harder still to keep her grades constant, but she thought she managed to keep Andrew and Neil from worrying. She had forgotten all about the parents-teachers meeting the next week. Not until Neil and Andrew told them at dinner that Everest would be in charge since they had to go to Juniper’s school for an hour. Even then, Juniper didn’t think much of it. She liked Mr. Kim and knew her teacher was fair; she had forgotten all about her struggles in math.

***

“Mr. Josten, Mr. Minyard. Nice to meet you.” Mr. Kim said as soon as they stepped into his classroom.

The teacher had his hand extended to them. Neil reacted first and shook the teacher’s hand. He glanced at Andrew when he let go. Andrew sighed but he also shook Mr. Kim’s hand. Antagonizing Juniper’s teacher wasn’t the goal tonight. Then Mr. Kim pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk. A motion telling them to take a seat.

“Juniper is a smart young lady.” Mr. Kim started without beating around the bush.

Andrew nodded at that. He appreciated a man who went straight to the point.

“She gets good grades in most of her subjects. She’s a little bit of an introvert and doesn’t interact a lot in class.” Mr. Kim continued.  
“So?” Andrew asked. He remembered when he was younger, and teachers tried to force him to participate in class. He had hated it so much and hated teachers who pressured kids into raising their hands. The worst was those who targeted quiet kids and asked them a question in front of the whole class.  
“Oh, don’t get me wrong I won’t ask her to speak more. As long as her work shows that she understands, I don’t see why being silent would be a problem.” Mr. Kim quickly said. “It’s just she still has a little trouble in math, and I would like her to come to me if she has questions.”  
Neil’s eyebrow went up at that. “In math you said.”  
“Yes. She told me that she would work on it and ask for help if needed. It’s ok if you’re uncomfortable with helping her. Most parents don’t remember their school days as well as when they were younger. Math can be tricky” Mr. Kim said with a comprehensive smile.

Neil frowned at that. Andrew saw his partner closed up. Neil leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Andrew almost wanted to laugh. So now, Neil would keep quiet.

“He was a math major.” Andrew said instead.

Now the teacher’s reaction made him almost laugh. Mr. Kim also leaned back in his seat, his face pure disbelief.

“I’m sorry… I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean…” He sputtered.  
“What? Because I’m a professional athlete I’m too dumb to help my daughter with her homework?” Neil asked, his voice cold.

It sent a shiver down Andrew’s spine. Clearly it wasn’t the same kind of shivers that took over Mr. Kim. Andrew always found it entertaining when Neil ran his mouth. No matter who it was and what was the situation. He should stop him; Mr. Kim was still Juniper’s teacher and they didn’t want him being afraid of them. But that wasn’t as fun.

“Look I’m sorry. I didn’t want to insult you.” Mr. Kim said when he took back control of himself. “Just, talk to her ok.”  
Andrew knew that Neil was about to argue some more. It was best if they left. “Ok. I think we’re done here.” He said as he stood up.

Neil sat for a few more seconds. Andrew grabbed his nape and squeezed. The action made Neil stood up and he nodded to Mr. Kim before following Andrew out of the classroom.

They sat in the car in silence. Andrew was waiting before starting the engine. His attention was all on Neil who was starring straight at what was in front of him.

“Maybe she doesn’t trust me.” Neil said his eyes still in the distance.  
Andrew rolled his eyes. “I’m sure it’s not that.”  
“What is it then?” Neil asked turning to look at Andrew.  
“We could go back home and ask her instead of your brain overthinking about it.” Andrew said with a huff.

Neil stayed silent for a few more seconds and nodded. Andrew started the engine and they left the school parking lot.

***

Juniper was sitting next to Everest and watching tv when Andrew and Neil came back.

“How did it go?” Everest asked when he saw them in the living room.

Andrew shrugged and Neil smiled. Everest went back to watching the show. That was enough for him.

“Jun. Could we talk to you?” Neil asked.

Juniper looked at him. She frowned. What could they want to talk about? She shrugged and got up to follow them to the kitchen. Neil and Andrew sat at the dining table and Juniper sat in front of them with a questioning look.

“What’s going on?” She finally asked.  
“It’s nothing too serious.” Andrew said to reassure her.

Juniper’s body relaxed a little at the statement. So, she wasn’t in trouble. It was pretty rare that she was in trouble with Neil and Andrew and they never screamed at her, but after staying with Line for almost two years it was still her first reaction.

“Mr. Kim said that you had a bit of trouble in math.” Neil said gently.

Juniper’s eyes widen with realization. She totally forgot about math. Of course, Mr. Kim would say something.

“Yeah. But I’m working on it.” She said quickly.  
“And that’s great Juniper. I’m proud of you for working so hard.” Andrew said. Juniper had noticed that Andrew had started to praise them more often now. She understood a while ago that Andrew wasn’t the one to talk about his emotions that much. She was glad he made an effort when it came to her and Everest.

“But if you need help you can ask us.” Neil added.  
“I asked Everest,” Juniper muttered. “He’s just not that good with math.”  
“Yeah, your brother is more into history.” Andrew nodded.

Juniper huffed at that. She didn’t like history too much. It was too much stuff to remember and it happened like a million years ago. Who cared?

“You know, when I was at University, I had a lot of math classes,” Neil said. “I was a math major.”  
“Ok.” Juniper said. She wasn’t sure where he was getting at.  
“I can help you with your homework.” He explained.  
“Really?” Juniper asked.  
Neil smiled at her. “Of course. But you have to tell me when you need help. I can’t guess.”

Juniper looked down at the table and fidgeted on her chair. Neil and Andrew waited for her to be ready and say what was on her mind.

“I didn’t want to bother you. You have enough trouble with the social workers and stuff.” She finally said her eyes still on the table.

She missed the look that Andrew and Neil exchanged. How they looked worried for her.

“It won’t bother me to help you.” Neil said softly.

Juniper looked up at him, her eyes clouded with water.

“If you need help, we’ll do our best to help you,” Andrew said. “The social services are ours to deal with.”  
Juniper wiped her eyes before the tears could escape her eyes. She sniffled once or twice and nodded. “Thanks.” She said with a quiet voice.

They all got up since the conversation was over. She went to Neil and hugged him lightly. Neil returned the hug with a relieved smile hidden in her hair. Andrew ruffled her hair when she let go of Neil. The gesture made her laugh. She went back to the living room to finish the show with Everest.

Maybe her father wasn’t there anymore, but she had new parents who cared about her and wanted to help her. Since that day, she asked Neil to help her with her math homework almost every day. She also started to call them dad in her head. She still wasn’t ready to call them that out loud, but she knew that soon enough she would.

**Author's Note:**

> It was Juniper's turn to have a 5 things + 1 written for her. Tell me what you think. Thank you for reading!


End file.
